Canned Heat (1967), Boogie with Canned Heat (1968), Living the Blues (1968)

“Canned Heat’s 1967 debut was released shortly after the band’s explosive introduction at the Monterey International Pop Festival. The quartet featured on Canned Heat includes the unique personnel of Alan ‘Blind Owl’ Wilson (guitar/vocals), Larry ‘The Mole’ Taylor (bass), Henry ‘Sunflower’ Vestine (guitar), Bob ‘The Bear’ Hite (vocals), and Frank Cook (drums). Cook’s tenure with the Heat would be exceedingly brief, however, as he was replaced by Aldolfo ‘Fido’ Dela Parra (drums) a few months later. Although the blues of Canned Heat strongly suggest that the boys hailed from the areas of Chicago or Memphis, Canned Heat actually formed in the suburb of Topanga Canyon, where they were contemporaries of other up-and-coming rockers Spirit and Kaleidoscope. … Canned Heat’s second long-player, 1968’s Boogie with Canned Heat, pretty well sums up the bona fide blend of amplified late-’60s electric rhythm and blues, with an expressed emphasis on loose and limber boogie-woogie. The quintet follow up their debut effort with another batch of authentic interpretations, augmented by their own exceptional instrumentation. One development is their incorporation of strong original compositions. ‘On the Road Again’ — which became the combo’s first, and arguably, most significant hit — as well as the Albert King inspired anti-speed anthem, ‘Amphetamine Annie,’ were not only programmed on the then-burgeoning underground FM radio waves, but also on the more adventuresome AM Top 40 stations. … 1968’s Living the Blues was Canned Heat’s third album in the brief two years they had gone professional, and was likewise their first double album, heralding the rural hippie anthem ‘Going Up the Country’, as well as the nearly three-quarter-hour ‘Refried Boogie’; an extended live version of ‘Refried Hockey Boogie’. Right out of the gate, the formidable team of Wilson and Vestine explore their musical passions with a focused drive that would significantly diminish in the years and on the records to follow. One of the primary factors in the package’s commercial success was their update of Henry Thomas’ ‘Going Down South,’ which they turned into the breezy ‘Goin’ Up the Country.’ …”
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‘Boogie With Canned Heat’: When The Heat Were At Their Height (Audio/Video)
W – Canned Heat, W – Boogie with Canned Heat, W – Living the Blues
Discogs: Canned Heat (Video), Boogie with Canned Heat (Video), Living the Blues (Video)
amazon: Canned Heat, Boogie with Canned Heat, Living the Blues
YouTube: CANNED HEAT 3 TRACKS FIRST LP. 1968, Boogie With Canned Heat, 1 / 10, Refried Boogie, etc. 41:11